This June 11, 2013 photo shows New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo during a news conference in the Red Room at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y. On Jan. 17, 2015, Cuomo said that he will propose legislation that would expand to New York's private colleges the "yes means yes" regulations against sexual assault that have been adopted at the state's own university system.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today a proposal to expand the so-called "yes means yes" legislation to protect college students against rape.

Cuomo proposed a law to extend protections against sexual assaults that are already in place on the campuses of the state's public colleges and universities to the state's private schools.

"One out of four women will be a victim of a sexual attack during their academic years," Cuomo said today at a news conference at New York University. "That is breathtaking."

The rule, which is already in place at the state-funded State University of New York (SUNY) schools, creates a safer environment for students by outlining expectations of responsibility, he said.

Former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, now a special adviser to the governor's office, said the new law will give every school in New York a uniform definition of consent where "yes means yes"--requiring participants to explicitly agree to any sexual activity.

Quinn said today college students are "re-victimized by the very institutions that they are a part of and the very institutions that should be there to support, help them, bring them justice."